Soursop (Annona muricata) may have a funny name, but it has amazing health benefits! This tropical fruit is also known as graviola, guanabana, custard apple, and paw paw. The outside has a spiny, green texture, and the tangy-sweet flesh is used in beverages, candy, and ice cream in Central and South American cuisine. It’s loaded with vitamin C, antioxidants, B vitamins, calcium, folate, niacin, thiamin, magnesium, potassium, fiber, and phosphorus.
Soursop is antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory, which is invaluable to the body’s healing processes. This tasty fruit is used in holistic medicine to treat an upset stomach, coughs, asthmatic symptoms, skin conditions, gout, fever, and as a mild, natural sedative.
Soursop is naturally…
Can Soursop Prevent Cancer?
Until recently, most analyses of the antioxidant-rich soursop have focused on the roots, leaves, and seeds. According to recent research, the humble, fresh fruit of the soursop has risen to a new level of importance: it has anti-cancer benefits!
In a South Korean study, Graviola was shown to be up to 10,000 times more effective than chemotherapy at stopping the spread of cancerous cells. Another study indicated that it is effective in the battle against resistant acute myeloid leukemia. In a 2015 study published in Universa Medicina, the leaves, fruit, and seeds of this plant were shown to inhibit the proliferation of breast cancer cells.
A 2010 study found that fruit extracts demonstrate antiangiogenic properties. Angiogenisis is the process of developing new blood vessels, which cancerous tumors use to grow.
Scientists with the Tepic Institute of Technology (Instituto Tecnológico de Tepic – ITT) in Mexico discovered acetogenins, a compound in the fruit with incredible chemotherapeutic properties.
The researchers with ITT are studying soursop in an effort to find more anti-cancer foods that are readily available in Mexico due to the steadily rising cases of cancer among their population.
Team leader Montalvo González, explained,
The research seeks to add value to the fruit so the least of it is wasted. We focus on acetogenins compounds because in Mexico, cancer is a disease that is increasing among the population and scientific research shows that the compounds found in this fruit can encapsulate tumors, but this depends on the amount consumed.”
In other words, they are searching for foods that prevent cancer and taste good, so more people will eat them. Unprocessed soursop pulp can be frozen up to a year without deterioration in the acetogenin content.
Ice cream produced from the pulp showed the same high concentrations of acetogenins, but ITT researchers need to determine at what point anti-cancer properties are compromised during the manufacturing process of mass food products and the addition of sugar.
They hope to stimulate the production of juice, ice cream, yogurt, and other foods that the local people will enjoy while they (perhaps unknowingly) prevent or fight the growth of cancer cells.
Using soursop to prevent cancer by incorporating it into staple foods is both innovative and beneficial for people’s health and Mexico’s economy.
Serving Suggestions for Soursop
Most of the recipes that include soursop are in the form of teas and soups. Here is a traditional Caribbean preparation of soursop.
Chilled Soursop Drink
Ingredients:
- 1 ripe soursop (guanabana) or 14 ounces frozen soursop pulp
- Optional: 1 can sweetened condensed milk (traditionally sweetened this way, omit and sweeten with coconut sugar or honey to taste)
- 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups water
Directions:
- Peel soursop by hand; put flesh in a large mixing bowl, and remove all seeds. If using frozen soursop pulp, then add to the blender.
- Put fruit into the blender, add 2 cups of water, and puree
- Strain fruit fibers if you prefer it without pulp
- Add remaining water, sweetened condensed milk (or coconut sugar), nutmeg, lime juice, and vanilla
- Blend until smooth
Serves two, chilled with or without ice. The result is delicious, healthy, and refreshing.
Why Haven’t You Heard of Soursop to Prevent Cancer?
As always, cancer organizations briefly acknowledge natural remedies—then quickly dismiss them as “inconclusive” or “too small” a study. Funny how that works.
When jaw-dropping discoveries are made about natural, non-patentable compounds, it’s “curious” that universities and cancer research centers don’t rush to launch larger trials. It’s almost like there’s no financial incentive. Weird, right?
Patients suffering from end-stage cancer—who have been cut, poisoned, and burned—would likely jump at the chance to be part of a natural therapy trial. But those trials never seem to materialize. Because how do you monetize a fruit?
Big Pharma, food manufacturers, and cancer organizations won’t tell you what scientists around the world are discovering in nature. They’d rather sell you a lifetime of treatment than a one-time cure.
So let us say it loud and clear:
Nature (God) provides.
The establishment profits.
You get to choose which side you’re on.
Editor’s Note: This article was initially published in 2022 and has been updated in 2026.
no need to strain the sour sop when pulped. No need for condensed milk either. a small amount of lime juice with some sweet orange juice is enough. for health benefits we omit the artificial sweeteners in the Caribbean.
Also in the Caribbean, we actually use the young leaves for cancer. Let them dry and make into a tea.
Is there a store that sells soursop such as greens, fruits powder. In the States it’s difficult to find this fruit, it is abundant in Asia and if you order real fruit it cost a lot of money. Is there other ways you can get it, like made of tea such as Moringa. Any info you can give will be greatly appreciated. I have been fighting esophageal cancer, I have gone 1 round of treatment but it came back. Right now I am getting Cryo Theraphy which freezes the tumor to slow down the growth. I am not on any treatment, I have decided to stick with the Cryo Theraphy. Thank you for your time.
Arabella
You can use the leaves to make a tea. I order the leaves from a company in Florida. Website is freshgraviola.com. There was a report done by NIH. I actually downloaded the report and keep it on my computer. The report states that soursop leaves have been shown to kill cancer cells. They state that a clinical trial was never done due to lack of money.
also google ARTEMISININ (sweet wor,mwood) a veterinary drug in tablet form,no prescription required, will kill cancer cells , all types! protocol ; 3 days on, 3 days off!
Wormwood is an herb, not a drug. 🙂
Yes! I’m a cancer survivor and a coworker would go to her country and bring back the leaves for me to make tea.
you can get a tea or capsules on iHerb, delivered to your door.
My sister-in-Law has pancreatic cancer. I am very interested in finding this sour sap
(as you can imagine). Please let me know where I might purchase this . Thanks very much…
Arogunn@cogeco.ca
Try a Mexican grocery store, or maybe an Asian market, or even Amazon.
HI
Amazon carries the dry leaves, the extract and powder!
I read on web MD that soursop is not good for people with heart issues, is this true? I have someone that might be dealing with cancer, but also have heart issues. I was telling them about this, but they are afraid use soursop.
Please advise.
Web MD is BS.
try this AI search engine.
brightanswers.ai from Mike Adams
Aloha!! My neighbor got a checkup, first time in years. The blood test included a PSA test for prostate cancer. He’s in his 60’s. The doctors had never seen, or even heard of, such a ridiculously high PSA test number. It’s unheard of! Unbelievable!! Like, 10 or 20 times higher than anything they’d seen before. So, neighbors gave his wife dried soursop leaves. She made tea with them for him, every day. When he went back for another PSA test 3 months later, the docs were again absolutely amazed! His PSA # was lower than fellas in their 20’s. Lower than dudes in their teens, even! His prostate was as young & healthy as a boy’s!! Around here people eat the fruit a lot, but for cancer cure or prevention they make a tea from the leaves. I like the taste. I drink it. I had diarrhea for 8 or 10 months, & my Dr. did tests. She wanted me to get more tests, as she definitely thought I had colon cancer. Oooky! Creepy! Rather than go into the hospital for tests, I drank soursop tea. I’m fine now. Healthy as can be, at 73. Again, ALOHA!!!!
Thanks for the info. My husband and I drink Soursop tea everyday now with the leaves. We love it and just mix it with honey. Glad you are doing well and we hope to prevent anything lurking around. Soursop is the best!
Hello, my son-in-law also has cancer of the esophagus. He is doing many things to battle this but I would like more info on this sour sap. By any chance does it come in a supplement? We live in New Jersey where would I buy it if there is not a supplement to purchase?
Thank you
Go to an Asian or Mexican market and you can usually find the fruit fresh, around February-April and frozen on other months. .. I believe they are also. Cousin to the Chirimoyo.
It comes in powder, capsule or liquid.
Donna,
A quick search on the web, turned up quite a few options for soursap. Accordingly,
it seems it should not be too hard to come by.
Yes i have seen the dry leaves at Mexican stores too. i will start buying them and drink a cup of tea every day to prevent. I heard about this years ago but wasn’t sure it was proven. Amazon carries the leaves, the extract and in liquid.
If you’re dealing with cancer and want to make this drink I would suggest omitting the sugar – omit it anyway, regardless. And if you are dealing with high oxalates, please do not use any nutmeg which is sky high in oxalates.
When taking sour sop liquid drops how many days on and off would be safe. Is it safe to take it every day?
I drink soursop tea everyday and put two drops underneath my tongue, but I am not sure that it made any difference to my health. I order that soursop dried leaves and teabags and also the gaviola drops from Amazon and they were not that expensive. I have not seen soursop fruit available in any of my local supermarkets in Ottawa, Canada.